Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Richardson's Quest for Normalcy

I interviewed outgoing Gov. Bill Richardson up on the Fourth Floor last week, not long after he'd gotten back from North Korea.

In it he says he he looks forward "to becoming a normal person" and "I want to stay (in Santa Fe), and I'm very comfortable with becoming anonymous and insignificant."

But he also says he'll earn part of his income giving paid speeches. He sais he's signed on with his old speaker's agency, The Washington Speakers Bureau, an exclusive D.C.-based company whose other anonymous and insignificant clients include George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, Donald Trump, Newt Gingrich, James Carville and Mary Matalin, Madeleine Albright, John Bolton and Bob Woodward.

When asked about the pay-to-play allegations and the investment scandals, Richardson still says he did nothing wrong and calls any claims to the contrary " baseless and politically motivated allegations.”

However he did say, "... just in general, I wish I had exercised more oversight over many things. We were just doing too much. I was maybe too trusting. And I’m not referring to Bland. Just in general, I appointed so many people. You know, by nature, I’m a trusting person. And, you know, maybe I should have exercised more oversight. But, you know, I’m human. I was doing so many things. You know, you trusting people.”